Uploading multiple files

Ray_Pinnegar

I use the POST method to upload a file from my local folder to my web site.

The form uses INPUT type="file" element.
This type of form only picks up one file at a time.

However, I am sure I have seen coding which can select one or more files from the pop up dialogue box.

Can anyone help?

trooper

I have done this and in order to get multiple files to be uploadded you need to pass an array

below is an example

<input name="userfile[]" type="file" title='browse your computer for an image">

so if you have lots of those then they will be stored in the array $_FILES['userfile'] - to use the example above

Then its a case of doing the same thing that you do for one file except you loop through the $_FILES['userfile'] array

HTH

Ray_Pinnegar

Thanks for helpful suggestion. However, I don't seem to be able to get a very simple form working, the snippet follows. The form displays but will still only pick up 1 file.

Any idea where I'm going wrong?

<?php

// .... insert code to handle upload here...

// Form snippet:
echo "
<form enctype='multipart/form-data' action='$_SERVER['PHP_SELF']
method='POST'>
Use Browse to select file to upload:<br>
<input name= 'userfile[]' type='file' >
<br><br>
<input type='submit' value='Upload this File'>
</form>
<hr>"
?>
</body>
</html>

Thank you again. Ray

jabba_29

One would think that the problem is not with the form code, but with the processing part 😃

Though you do need to have multiple input tags

trooper

Thtat cuz you are only selecting 1 file

you only have one of

 Use Browse to select file to upload:<br>
<input name= 'userfile[]' type='file' >

You can't use this to try and select multiple files, you need 1 for every file that you are going to upload.

SO if you want to upload say 3 then you'd need 3 *

 Use Browse to select file to upload:<br>
<input name= 'userfile[]' type='file' >

HTH

feldon23

I've never understood the purpose of the [].

If you want 3 file slots, you need
Use Browse to select file to upload:<br> <input name= 'userfile1' type='file' >
Use Browse to select file to upload:<br> <input name= 'userfile2' type='file' >
Use Browse to select file to upload:<br> <input name= 'userfile3' type='file' >

I usually provide a dropdown menu that lets the user decide how many file slots he/she needs.

trooper

By using the [] notation you indicate that you want to use an array

stolzyboy

then you could spit them out something like

while (@list($key, $value) = each($userfile)) //named [] field, ie userfile[]
{
echo "Value of uploaded file " . $value . "<br>";
}

Ray_Pinnegar

Thanks all for your contributions - I understand the generation of multiple lines of code for multiple file input.

However, this does not solve my initial problem - creating a Windows type dialogue box for selecting individual or groups of files. In this scenario the user does not know how many files he requires until he gets to the doalogue box.

I thought it could be done but it seems not so.

Cheers Ray :mad:

Weedpacket

Well, no. One file per file form field - that's HTML.

feldon23

There IS a javascript floating around that lets a user drag files to an icon/graphic on your web page and they will be attached that way.